


into the light

by squidgirlfriends



Category: Splatoon
Genre: ? i guess lmao you don't really have to know anything from octo expansion, Gen, Marina's Backstory, Octo Expansion, escaping octo hq with your host! Marina Ida!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 15:01:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15051749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squidgirlfriends/pseuds/squidgirlfriends
Summary: “I’m sorry, Lanton, what are you talking about?” Marina’s head spun as she watched the lantern shark zip around the pipes, spouting words she didn’t know the meaning of.“Don’t you understand?” That songsavedyou. Your soul isfreed.”





	into the light

**Author's Note:**

> unoriginal title srry B)
> 
> this was the product of a little warmup, a little bit of theorizing, and the squid sisters are definitely goddesses you can't fight me its the truth

It was hopeless. Completely, utterly hopeless. Marina clung to the wall, swallowing thickly and desperately trying not to look down into the endless void of the trench from which she came. Sometimes she wished she’d taken the hard way—confronting fellow Octarians seemed like a cakewalk compared to where she was now.

She stood on a questionably sturdy ledge, jutting a foot and a half out from the wall. Pipes and ducts ran over her head and below her feet. She’d been climbing for days, but the little slit of sunlight at the top didn’t seem to be getting any closer, any brighter. The bag slung over her shoulder only seemed to be getting heavier, but she couldn’t put it down. She couldn’t risk losing all of her hard work.

Slowly, carefully, she slid down into a sitting position, knees tucked under her chin. The ledge didn’t give, and she heaved a small sigh of relief.

“Having trouble, hm?”

Marina yelped, nearly falling over. She looked around wildly, heart beating fast, as she searched for the source of the voice.

“Over here, little octoling, over here…”

A flash of green split through the pipe against the wall across from her. In a moment, whatever it was had snuck around to the pipes just above her head.

“W-who – who are you?” Marina stammered.

“Call me Lanton…” the green thing fixed its two beady eyes on her. “And you’re the little prodigy, aren’t you? The one everyone talks about…” Lanton smiled down at her, a row of sharp teeth glinting a sickly green, matching the rest of his body.

Marina frowned, but didn’t break their gaze. One thing she’d learned since leaving headquarters and wandering the vast scrap yards; the only person she could truly trust was herself.

“What do want with me?” Marina spoke with an even tone. There was no use in being abrasive—she was only a few inches from plummeting to her imminent doom. Plus, this guy seemed to know his way around the trench.

“ _With_ you? I don’t want anything.” Lanton scurried away again, appearing a few rows of pipes above her. “Merely noticed you… you’ve been climbing an awful long time… where’s your manager? Your commander? Where’s your _place_ here?” Lanton kept smiling, but it was biting—a playful smirk. He knew exactly what he was starting, but she wouldn’t allow him to get a rise out of her.

“Funny, all that stuff I hear about Octarians today… especially when they go _missing_ , hm? AWOL, slipped them the slip, hm?”

“Nice try, tiger shark,” Marina replied coolly. “You don’t scare me.”

Lanton reared back at the nickname, narrowing his eyes at her. He grumbled something about _mucky, scum-for-brains_ before scuttling away once more.

Marina exhaled, tension bleeding from her shoulders. The sound echoed. This was hopeless. She wasn’t a soldier; she wasn’t _prepared_ for this type of thing.

“What was that?” Lanton dropped down from the pipe directly above Marina, landing on the ledge right next to her. She jumped, biting back a few curses and fighting the urge to kick the little lantern shark into the abyss.

“What was _what_?”

“That song you were humming… that wouldn’t be the Inkantation, would it?”

“The… I was humming?”

“The Calamari Inkantation… by _cod_ , I should have known!”

“What are you _talking_ about? I wasn’t humming!”

Lanton scuttled in circles, excited.

“You…” Marina blinked. “You mean that song? The one by the inkling girls? That’s what it’s called? Ca-Calamari… Inkan-kant…” Marina frowned. Those weren’t words familiar to her.

“The Calamari Inkantation! The spell, the heavenly melody sung by the twin prophetesses, marking the dawn of a new age!” Lanton jumped back up into the pipe, his little green body shooting around the pipes and ducts like he’d been slingshotted.

“ _What does that mean_?” Marina called out, standing up. “ _A new age_?”

“Yes!” Lanton stopped, directly across the trench from her. “Little octoling… the Calamari Inkantation is a song older than me, older than your Commander Octavio himself. The song… it contains inkredible power… power to liberate and renew, power to free oppressed souls.” Lanton scuttled around again, reappearing in the duct just below her. “…scrolls…the _prophecies_ …” he muttered and mumbled like he was on the verge of curing death. “…the heavenly melody shall break their bonds… and finally shall they see with eyes anew…”

“I’m sorry, Lanton, what are you talking about?” Marina’s head spun as she watched the lantern shark zip around the pipes, spouting words she didn’t know the meaning of.

“Don’t you understand?” That song _saved_ you. Your soul is _freed_.”

Marina watched Lanton zip through the pipes, up and up and up, into the light above.

“Lanton?” she called. There was no response. “What a weird little…” she shook her head, securing the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

“The Calamari Inkantation, huh?” she muttered to herself. She turned around and jumped, grabbing hold of the pipe above her head. As she climbed up the wall of the trench once more, she hummed. She’d see the sun, she’d see the moon and the stars, she’d live a new life.

She climbed up and up and up, into the light.

 

**Author's Note:**

> i had no idea who to use for the character who eventually turned out to be Lanton, i just wanted im to be bioluminescent and small and kinda rude but also prophetic so i just chose a little shark dude lol
> 
> the fish puns are growing on me.


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